Metro Manila, Philippines — Health Secretary Ted Herbosa has directed the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) to conduct a meticulous check on arrivals in entry points amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases due to the “FLiRT” variant.
The bureau released a memorandum on this directive on May 24 to all its stations and other concerned agencies with a subject line, “Heightened alert for COVID FLiRT variant.” The Department of Health (DOH) confirmed the issuance on May 27, Monday.
“All stations have been directed to conduct thorough screening at Points of Entry for arriving visitors originating from countries where COVID FLiRT incidents have been detected,” the document read.
It reiterated reminders to observe minimum public health standards and advised travelers to “complete the health questionnaire available on the e-travel application.”
The BOQ said people with COVID-19 symptoms should go on home isolation.
Herbosa previously said the government is ruling out travel bans in the wake of rising COVID-19 cases abroad.
The World Health Organization announced three new variants under monitoring. These are JN.1.18, KP.2, and KP.3 — descendants of the Omicron subvariant JN.1.
The last two are part of what scientists called “FLiRT” variants due to their mutations. FLiRT variants are reportedly behind the rise of cases in Singapore, India, and the United States.
